U.S. patent number 9,498,128 [Application Number 14/079,629] was granted by the patent office on 2016-11-22 for wearable architecture and methods for performance monitoring, analysis, and feedback.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Mad Apparel, Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is MAD Apparel, Inc.. Invention is credited to Dhananja Jayalath, Christopher Wiebe.
United States Patent |
9,498,128 |
Jayalath , et al. |
November 22, 2016 |
Wearable architecture and methods for performance monitoring,
analysis, and feedback
Abstract
The present application relates generally to computer software,
mobile electronics, wireless communication links, and wearable
monitoring systems. More specifically, techniques, fabrics,
materials, systems, sensors, EMG sensors, circuitry, algorithms and
methods for wearable monitoring devices and associated exercise
apparatus are described. A garment borne sensor system may generate
data on a user's performance during exercise, for example, and the
data may be analyzed in real time and feedback may be provided to
the user based on the analysis. A piece of exercise equipment may
be instrumented and in communication with the sensor system or
other system and may be controlled in real time to adjust its
settings to affect the user during the exercise routine.
Communication between the sensor system and other systems may be
wireless. Conductive structures formed directly in a fabric of the
garment may integrally include sensors, circuitry, controllers,
conductive traces, and sensor electronics.
Inventors: |
Jayalath; Dhananja (Redwood
City, CA), Wiebe; Christopher (Redwood City, CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MAD Apparel, Inc. |
Palo Alto |
CA |
US |
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Assignee: |
Mad Apparel, Inc. (Redwood
City, CA)
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Family
ID: |
50682350 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/079,629 |
Filed: |
November 13, 2013 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20140135593 A1 |
May 15, 2014 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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61726470 |
Nov 14, 2012 |
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61726474 |
Nov 14, 2012 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B
5/296 (20210101); A61B 5/389 (20210101); A61B
5/318 (20210101); A61B 5/6841 (20130101); A61B
5/6805 (20130101); G16H 40/67 (20180101); A61B
5/0022 (20130101); A61B 5/369 (20210101); A61B
5/6804 (20130101); G09B 19/0038 (20130101); A61B
5/1118 (20130101); A41D 1/04 (20130101); A61B
5/0004 (20130101); A61B 5/0015 (20130101); A61B
5/30 (20210101); A41D 2500/52 (20130101); A61B
2503/10 (20130101); A61B 2562/18 (20130101); A61B
5/02055 (20130101); A63B 2024/0009 (20130101); A61B
2560/0223 (20130101); A63B 2024/0078 (20130101); A61B
2562/0209 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61B
5/00 (20060101); A61B 5/0402 (20060101); A61B
5/0492 (20060101); A61B 5/0488 (20060101); A61B
5/0205 (20060101); A61B 5/04 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Kahelin; Michael
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fenwick & West LLP
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to the following U.S. Provisional
Patent Applications: U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.
61/726,470, filed on Nov. 14, 2012, and titled "Human Performance
Monitoring, Analysis, And Feedback Systems And Methods Therefor";
and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/726,474, filed
on Nov. 14, 2012, and titled "Architecture And Methods For Human
Performance Monitoring, Analysis, And Feedback", all of which are
herein incorporated by reference in their entirety for all
purposes.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus for monitoring, analyzing, and providing feedback
on physical activity of a user, comprising: a controller; a garment
configured to be worn on a portion of a body of the user, the
garment including: a fabric including a set of electrode bases,
each electrode base in the set of electrode bases made from a
conductive resin material formed on the fabric, wherein the fabric
is composed of a stretchable, compressive and form-fitting material
configured to bias each of a set of electromyography sensors into
contact with a plurality of muscles on the user when the user dons
the garment, wherein the fabric comprises at least one of nylon,
polyester, spandex, and synthetic fibers, the set of
electromyography sensors coupled to the set of electrode bases and
configured to acquire bio-potential signals indicative of muscle
activation, and a set of conductive leads coupled with each
electrode base in the set of electrode bases and configured to
couple to the controller, each conductive lead in the set of
conductive leads composed of a flexible and electrically conductive
material that is positioned on the fabric; and a processing system
including a first module configured to receive information
characterizing a user profile of the user, a second module
configured to receive signals derived from the set of
electromyography sensors from the controller, and a third module
configured to calibrate the set of electromyography sensors based
upon the user profile, wherein the third module comprises a
calibration circuit configured to receive an input signal derived
from a pair of electrodes at a variable gain block of the
calibration circuit, wherein the variable gain block is configured
to scale the input signal by a gain factor having an initial preset
value based on a body mass index parameter of the user determined
from the user profile of the user.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the garment and the set of
electromyography sensors comprise materials and structures
configured to withstand a plurality of cycles of washing while
maintaining proper function of the set of electromyography sensors,
the set of electrode bases, and the set of conductive leads.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the set of electromyography
sensors is configured to sense bio-potential signal differences
associated with pairs of electrodes interfacing with a set of
muscles of the user, and wherein the fabric is configured to
position the set of electromyography sensors to be in contact with
the set of muscles when the garment is donned by the user.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the fabric includes at least
one of an alignment mark and a designed structure operative to aid
the user in correct placement of the set of electromyography
sensors relative to the set of muscles when the user dons the
garment.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller further
comprises: an equipment detector including a first wireless
communication link configured to wirelessly communicate with a
communication device of an exercise apparatus with which the user
is interacting during muscle activation.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is detachably
coupled to the garment.
Description
FIELD
The present application relates generally to computer software,
mobile electronics, wireless communication links, and wearable
monitoring systems. More specifically, techniques, fabrics,
materials, systems, sensors, EMG sensors, circuitry, algorithms and
methods for wearable monitoring devices and associated exercise
apparatus are described.
BACKGROUND
Human bio-potentials have long been measured in clinical settings
for heath and/or performance monitoring purposes. For example, the
heart rate (HR) of a human test subject may be monitored in a
health clinic or other health care venue using an
electrocardiograph (ECG) system. In a typical electrocardiography
test, a plurality of ECG electrodes may be adhesively attached to
the skin of the human test subject in order to record information
pertaining to the heart. The measured bio-potential information
indicative of the heart functions may typically be recorded on ECG
graph paper or stored in computer memory for later analysis.
In general, conventional ECG electrodes may be formed of a
conductive gel embedded in an adhesive pad onto which a cable is
coupled. Examples include an adhesive conductive hydrogel formed
over a conductive rigid senor to which the cable is coupled or
otherwise attached. ECG electrodes may be adhesively attached to
different locations on the skin of the human test subject to obtain
heart-related information from different angles (e.g., left arm,
right arm, left leg, etc.). The electrical signals obtained by the
ECG electrodes may then be interpreted by a knowledgeable expert to
obtain certain information pertaining to the heart functions (e.g.,
heart rate (HR), heart rhythm, etc.) as well as to detect symptoms
of pathological conditions (e.g., hypocalcaemia, coronary ischemia,
hypokalemia, myocardial infarction, etc.), for example.
There are some disadvantages to conventional gel-based electrodes.
Gel-based and/or adhesive-based electrodes may be unsuitable for
long-term monitoring applications. For example, gel-based and/or
adhesive-based electrodes tend to dry out over time and thus tend
to be one-time-use-only devices. Furthermore, gel-based and/or
adhesive-based electrodes, such as those employing Silver-Silver
chloride (Ag/AgCl) electrodes, may cause skin irritation to some
human subjects, especially if those electrodes are used over a long
period of time. Moreover, the expertise and/or dexterity required
to adhesively attach the gel-based and/or adhesive-based electrodes
at various specific locations on the body often requires the use of
an expert human assistant. The need for such expert involvement may
be inconvenient and/or awkward for the user, and may drive up the
cost associated with long-term monitoring.
The same issues may also render gel-based and/or adhesive-based
electrodes unsuitable for use in the consumer market. For example,
in addition to the aforementioned bio-compatibility issue,
consumers may be resistant to purchasing, using, and discarding
one-time-use gel-based and/or adhesive-based electrodes due to cost
concerns and/or environmental impact concerns. As mentioned above,
the attachment of gel-based and/or adhesive-based electrodes at
specific locations on the skin may be intimidating and
time-consuming to an average consumer and may require a level of
expertise and/or dexterity that an unaided consumer typically may
not possess.
Conventional dry electrodes have been proposed as an alternative
electrode that addresses the aforementioned shortcomings of
gel-based and/or adhesive-based electrodes. Such conventional
electrodes may be based on metal filaments incorporated into thread
and woven in different patterns. Skin compatibility and reusability
may be greatly enhanced by using dry electrodes.
Conventional dry electrodes and associated amplifying circuitry
have been incorporated into textiles (e.g., garments), resulting in
textile-based monitoring clothing. See, for example, "Fabric-Based
Active Electrode Design And Fabrication For Health Monitoring
Clothing" by Carey R. Merrit and H. Troy Nagle (IEEE Transactions
On Information Technology In Biomedicine, Vol. 13, No. 2, March
2009). Textile-based monitoring garments based on textile
monitoring fabric have further been manufactured and made
commercially available by different manufacturers.
One of the seismic shifts in consumer electronic trends in recent
years has been the increase in processing (e.g., multiple core
and/or faster processors) and communication capabilities (e.g.,
WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, Cellular, 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G) of smart
personal communication devices (SPCDs) and the ubiquitous nature of
the Internet in everyday life. More importantly, SPCDs have been
widely adopted by consumers and are ubiquitous in the consumer
market. For example, SPCDs incorporating both cellular telephony
capability and computer-like data processing and communication
capabilities have been widely adopted by consumers for
communication, work, Internet browsing, health, personal fitness,
and entertainment (e.g., movie watching, gaming, streaming media,
social and professional networking, etc.). Examples of such SPCDs
include smart phones and tablets incorporating operating systems
such as iOS.TM. (available from Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.),
Android.TM. (available from Google, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif.),
Windows.TM. (available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond,
Wash.), and the like. Well-known contemporary brands of smart
phones and tablets include, for example, iPhone.TM., iPad.TM.,
Samsung Galaxy.TM., Motorola Droid.TM., BlackBerry.TM., etc. These
SPCDs are now ubiquitous and possess powerful communication and
processing capabilities. The popularity and utility of SPCD's have
resulted in them being carried by their users at all times or at
least being kept nearby and ready for use.
The ubiquitous nature of the Internet, the pervasiveness of
wireless communications networks, and the widespread adoption of
SPCDs and their constant access and use by consumers has provided
an opportunity to create comprehensive textile-based monitoring
garment systems that may provide a level of capability and
user-friendliness unavailable with the above mentioned conventional
textile-based monitoring garment solutions.
Therefore, there is a need for improved electrodes, materials, ease
of use, reduced costs and features in textile-based monitoring
garment systems.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Various embodiments or examples ("examples") are disclosed in the
following detailed description and the accompanying drawings:
FIG. 1A depicted an example of a simplified representation of
various components of a textile-based human monitoring, analysis,
and feedback (MAF) system;
FIG. 1B one example of various components of the textile-based
human MAF system depicted in FIG. 1A;
FIG. 2 depicts an example use scenario for the textile-based human
MAF system depicted in FIG. 1A;
FIG. 3 depicts one example of an electromyography electrode;
FIG. 4A depicts one example of an implementation of sensor
electronics;
FIG. 4B depicts one example of an implementation of an
electromyography electrode and sensor electronics;
FIG. 5 depicts one example of electronic circuitry in an example
sensor;
FIG. 6 depicts three examples of signals sensed by the same
form-fitting sensor garment on three different example human
subjects;
FIG. 7 depicts an example of a high-level schematic diagram of a
calibration circuit;
FIG. 8 depicts one example of an implementation of a calibration
circuit; and
FIG. 9 depicts an example of a representation of an
electromyography signal during calibration.
It is to be understood that, in the drawings, like reference
numerals designate like structural elements. Also, it is understood
that the drawings are not necessarily to scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Various embodiments or examples may be implemented in numerous
ways, including as a system, a process, an apparatus, a user
interface, or a series of program instructions disposed in a
non-transitory computer readable medium such as a computer readable
storage medium (e.g., RAM, SRAM, DRAM, ROM, Cache, Register, Flash,
SSD, HHD, Volatile memory, Non-volatile memory, Optical media,
Magnetic media, etc.) or a computer network where the program
instructions are sent over optical, electronic, or wireless
communication links. In general, operations of disclosed processes
may be performed in an arbitrary order, unless otherwise provided
in the claims.
A detailed description of one or more examples is provided below
along with accompanying figures of the drawings. The detailed
description is provided in connection with such examples, but is
not limited to any particular example. The scope is limited only by
the claims and numerous alternatives, modifications, and
equivalents are encompassed. Numerous specific details are set
forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough
understanding. These details are provided for the purpose of
example and the described techniques may be practiced according to
the claims without some or all of these specific details. For
clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields
related to the examples has not been described in detail to avoid
unnecessarily obscuring the description.
In some examples, the described techniques may be implemented as a
computer program or application ("application") or as a plug-in,
module, or sub-component of another application. The described
techniques may be implemented as software, hardware, firmware,
circuitry, Integrated Circuit (IC), ASIC, FPGA, or a combination
thereof. If implemented as software, the described techniques may
be implemented using various types of programming, development,
scripting, or formatting languages, frameworks, syntax,
applications, protocols, objects, compilers, or techniques,
including but not limited to ASP, ASP.net, .Net framework, Ruby,
Ruby on Rails, C, Objective C, C++, C#, Adobe.RTM. Integrated
Runtime.TM. (Adobe.RTM. AIR.TM.), ActionScript.TM., Flex.TM.,
Lingo.TM., Java.TM., Javascript.TM., Ajax, Perl, COBOL, Fortran,
ADA, XML, MXML, HTML, DHTML, XHTML, HTTP, XMPP, PHP, an objected
oriented language, and others. Design, publishing, and other types
of applications such as Dreamweaver.RTM., Shockwave.RTM.,
Flash.RTM., Drupal and Fireworks.RTM. may also be used to implement
the described techniques. Database management systems (i.e.,
"DBMS"), search facilities and platforms, web crawlers (i.e.,
computer programs that automatically or semi-automatically visit,
index, archive or copy content from, various websites (hereafter
referred to as "crawlers")), and other features may be implemented
using various types of proprietary or open source technologies,
including MySQL, Oracle (from Oracle of Redwood Shores, Calif.),
Solr and Nutch from The Apache Software Foundation of Forest Hill,
Md., among others and without limitation. The described techniques
may be varied and are not limited to the examples or descriptions
provided.
In some examples, a form-fitting sensor garment may include at
least one sensor (e.g., a bio-potential sensor) and associated
processing and communications electronics. Typically, a pair of
electrodes and associated electronics may form a sensor, which may
receive as inputs a potential difference generated on the human
skin due to ions flowing in muscle fibers as a result of muscle
activity. In other examples, the one or more sensors may be
washable sensors that may be borne or otherwise coupled with a
garment and configured to be unaffected and/or undamaged by washing
or otherwise cleaning or maintaining the garment. One or more
form-fitting sensor garments may be made to be conformal to any
part of the human body as desired. In other examples, one or more
form-fitting sensor garments may be made to be conformal to any
part of a structure, such as on the body of a non-human species
(e.g., animals, mammals, pets, avian, livestock, equine, sea
creatures, denizens of the deep, etc.), for example. Stretchable,
compressive and form-fitting fabric made of natural or preferably
synthetic fibers (e.g., nylon, lycra, polyester, spandex, or other
suitable fibers and blends thereof) may be configured to exert a
biasing force on the sensors, which are built-in to the
form-fitting sensor garment, to bias (e.g., increase contact force)
the washable sensors against the skin to maintain good electrical
and/or mechanical contact and to reduce motion artifacts that may
be caused if there is relative motion between the skin and the
sensor(s) (e.g., the sensors and/or skin sliding against each other
along their mutual contacting surfaces).
Biopotential sensors may include but are not limited to
electromyography (EMG) sensors, ECG sensors, respiration, galvanic
skin response (GSR), or others. Other types of sensors may also be
incorporated into the form-fitting sensor garment. These auxiliary
sensors may include but are not limited to accelerometers (single
or multi-axis), GPS sensors, galvanic skin response (GSR),
bioimpedance, gyroscopes, bend-angle measurement (flex) sensors (to
measure joint angle or joint angles), etc. These sensors may be
incorporated in a permanent manner into the fabric of the
form-fitting sensor garment itself or in a detachable manner and/or
in pockets or under or on top of flaps if desired.
The present application describes implementation of a combination
of a multitude of sensors including, but not limited to
electromyography (EMG), electrocardiograph (ECG), respiration,
galvanic skin response (GSR), temperature, acceleration, bend
angle, etc. The use of multiple sensors provides a level of insight
that is not available by measuring only a single metric such as
heart rate (HR) or motion based on accelerometers or other types of
motion sensors (e.g., a gyroscope), as is currently available.
Conventional products do not enable washable electromyography
sensors and associated electrodes attached to a form-fitting
garment in the manners disclosed in one or more embodiments herein.
The various combinations of embodiments disclosed herein that
include electromyography sensors, dry electrodes, analysis and
feedback methods, calibration and/or communication scope have not
existed in conventional sensor garments.
In one or more embodiments, sensors may be incorporated into fabric
or other material in a semi-permanent manner (using, e.g.,
loop-and-hook fasteners or other detachable fastening means) to
allow re-positioning of the sensors.
In one or more embodiments, processing electronics may be
configured to acquire the sensed signals from the electrodes and/or
to amplify/filter the sensed signals from the electrodes. The
sensors (e.g., fixed electrodes positioned in a fabric plus their
associated electronics) may be incorporated into a form-fitting
sensor garment in a permanent manner or a detachable manner. In
some examples, the sensors are detachably mounted to the garment
for a purpose including but not limited to re-positioning on the
garment, repairs, replacement, upgrades, updates to software,
sensor calibration, power source maintenance, to install on a
different garment, to exchange for another sensor or type of
sensor, just to name a few. Further, in one or more embodiments,
processing electronics may be configured to perform data
processing/analysis on the sensed data (which are derived from the
sensed signals from the electrodes). Processing electronics may
also be incorporated into the form-fitting sensor garment in a
permanent or detachable manner. The processing electronics may also
include one or more radios for wireless communication with external
devices and/or other systems in the garment. For example, the
processing electronics may comprise a system-on-chip (SoC) that may
include one or more radios (e.g., BT, WiFi, NFC, etc.). As
described herein, the term sensor may include one or more
electrodes and associated sensor electronics (e.g., in a processor
or other circuitry) electrically coupled with the electrodes and
configured to acquire signals from the electrodes and to process
the acquired signals in an analog domain, a digital domain or both.
A sensor may comprise electrodes and associated sensor electronics
integrated into a common structure (e.g., see 300 and 420 in 460 of
FIG. 4B) such as an electrode pad, or may comprise electrodes and
sensor electronics that are disposed remotely from one another,
such as electrodes coupled to a remotely positioned processor
(e.g., positioned at another location in the garment) or other
circuitry using an electrically conductive structure such as a
conductive trace, wire, cable, or the like, for example.
In one or more embodiments, communication electronics may be
configured to transmit and/or receive information wirelessly and
may be incorporated into the form-fitting sensor garment in a
permanent or detachable manner. In one or more embodiments, a
network of signal conductors may be configured to facilitate
communication among the sensors and/or communication electronics
and/or processing electronics may be permanently incorporated into
the fabric of the form-fitting sensor garment.
To provide power to the processing electronics and/or communication
electronics and/or sensors, a power source such as one or more
batteries (which may be rechargeable by various means or may be
one-time-use, disposable batteries) may be incorporated into the
form-fitting sensor garment in a permanent or detachable manner. If
the electronics and/or power source are/is non-detachable, it is
preferable that these components are constructed such that they can
withstand repeated washing and drying cycles typical of wearable
clothing.
In the following discussion, electromyography sensors are described
only as an example to facilitate discussion. It should be
understood, however, that the present application contemplates that
other types of sensor may be implemented additionally and/or
alternatively to the electromyography sensors discussed in
connection with the examples herein. In one or more embodiments,
multiple washable electromyography (WE) sensors may be used to
measure muscle activity at different sites on the human body. The
WE sensors may be configured to measure muscle activity associated
with different muscles to measure muscle exertion intensity. When
groups of muscles are measured together, more complex analysis and
feedback may be performed and made available to the user (e.g.,
wirelessly via an application (APP) running on a smartphone,
tablet, pad, or the like).
In the following discussion, concepts of the present application
will be described using athletics as well as strength and
conditioning as an example application. The benefit of a garment
that includes a multitude of WE sensors and specifically the
ability to monitor multiple muscles, without requiring conventional
adhesive based and manually placed alternatives may be utilized for
other applications. The end use application in which the sensors
and garment described herein may be used does not change the form
or function of the concepts described in the present application.
For example, applied to ergonomics the ability to critique form and
posture discussed herein can be used to train proper procedures in
a manufacturing environment, work environment, and athletic
endeavors, just to name a few. Critiquing posture may provide
injury prevention in the workplace in the same way as in an
athletic training setting. As another example, in that the present
application builds on clinical methods and provides a more
user-friendly experience, the present application may be applied
for use in self-guided rehabilitation and injury prevention
training.
One example of the complex analysis and feedback possible using
multiple WE sensors comprises a bench-press exercise routine
because the bench press routine exercises a plurality of different
muscles in the human body. By detecting muscle exertion intensity
associated with each of the plurality of muscles, information such
as whether the human subject is using the proper form, whether a
muscle is injured and compensation by one or more other muscles is
taking place, whether the user is exercising with the optimal
number of repetition and intensity, whether the full range of
motion is involved, etc., may be acquired (e.g., from signals from
multiple sensors) and provided as instant feedback to the user
and/or to adjust the exercise the equipment (e.g., in real time) to
optimize the exercise session. Other types of sensors (such as one
or more of the aforementioned bend-angle measurement sensors, GSR,
HR, temperature, and accelerometers, for example) may also provide
information to enrich the analysis and feedback regarding the
example bench-press routine.
In one or more embodiments, the set of WE sensors may be
permanently incorporated into the fabric of the form-fitting sensor
garment. In one or more embodiments, the form-fitting sensor
garment may come in various sizes to accommodate various body sizes
(e.g., similar to the sizing system currently used with exercise or
casual clothing). In one or more embodiments, it is recognized that
the difference in skin condition and/or subcutaneous fat content
from human subject to human subject may give rise to data
acquisition error if left uncorrected. For example, electrode
acquired signals from a user with a higher body fat percentage may
differ from electrode acquired signals acquired from a leaner user
even though they both may weigh the same and may fit into the same
size garment. The subcutaneous fat layer between muscle tissue and
skin surface may attenuate an electromyography signal resulting in
different acquired amplitudes for different body types. The
electrode acquired signal may be calibrated, in one or more
embodiments, to improve analysis and feedback accuracy.
In one or more embodiments, the number of electrodes/sensors that
are built into the fabric exceeds the number actually required to
obtain the necessary muscle activity data. Logic and/or heuristics
may be employed to select the sensors that provide the best signals
for the group of muscles of interest. This is particularly
advantageous since the human subject may position the garment
slightly differently at different times or in different work-out
sessions. Further, the optimal measurement sites for one user may
be different from the optimal measurement sites for other users.
Prior to work out, intelligent logics and/or algorithms may be
employed to select the optimal group of sensors on the form-fitting
sensor garment to use for actual monitoring and analysis. As
another example, the user may be guided to engage in a training or
a teaching routine to allow the textile-based MAF's to properly
recognize and select the optimal group of sensors on the
form-fitting sensor garment to use in the actual monitoring and
analysis. Signals from sensors that are not selected may be ignored
or given less weight or may be employed in other ways, for
example.
In one or more embodiments, all sensor data from all available
sensors may be collected and/or stored (e.g., in memory), and
analysis may be performed only on the subset of sensors that are
relevant and/or deemed to generate most optimal signals for
analysis. In other embodiments, only the relevant subset of sensor
data may be collected and/or stored and/or analyzed. One or more of
the collecting, the storing, or the analyzing may occur internally
(e.g., on one or more processors or controllers in the garment),
externally (e.g., in an external device such as the SPCD or other
wireless device) or both.
In one or more embodiments, the design of the garment and geometry
of the electrodes may be configured to account for variations in
user body types and resulting alignment concerns. Intuitive
features may be added to the garment to ensure proper alignment.
These may include, but are not limited to, visible lines, markers
and cut-outs for thumb, elbow, etc. For example, alignment marks or
markers including but not limited to visible lines may provide a
guide where the user only needs to ensure the line is straight for
proper alignment. The electrode geometry may be designed to account
for different muscle sizes. In one example, increasing a dimension
of the electrode orthogonal to the muscle fiber direction may
accommodate varying fiber radii and resulting muscle volume. In
other examples, the garment may include designed structures
configured to urge and/or force the user to correctly position the
garment and its sensors with proper and/or orientation with respect
to the muscles or other portions of the user's body to be sensed.
For example, a shirt-like garment may include a cut-out portion for
one or more body parts such as one for an elbow and another for a
thumb and/or one or more fingers. The user aligning the elbow
cut-out with the elbow of his/her arm and the fingers and/or thumb
with their respective cut-outs may be used to ensure at least
approximately accurate alignment of sensors in an arm portion of
the shirt-like garment with the muscles in the arm that are to be
sensed by the sensors disposed in the arm portion of the shirt-like
garment. As another example, a pant-like garment may include for
each leg, a heel loop and a knee cut-out configured to align
sensors in a leg portion of the pant-like garment with the intended
muscles in the user's legs. Other types of design structures may be
configured into a garment where appropriate and may be used in
conjunction with one or more alignment marks included with the
garment. The above are non-limiting examples of designed structures
and the present application is not limited to the above
examples.
In one or more embodiments, the user may be given real-time
feedback based on analysis of the sensor outputs. For example,
pattern recognition algorithms may be employed to detect whether
the muscle exertion data from a group of muscles indicates that the
user is engaging in incorrect form or in a non-optimal workout. For
example, exercises targeting the biceps brachii are meant to
isolate exertion of that muscle from the rest of the body. A less
efficient workout occurs when the user generates momentum using the
shoulder and/or lower back. Identifying activity in these
momentum-influencing muscles can determine incorrect form.
Accelerometer or bend-angle data may be incorporated to complement
the aforementioned. The feedback is preferably made in visual or
audible form to allow the user to easily understand muscle activity
and how to improve and/or correct a workout routine. In this
manner, virtual coaching may be accomplished in real time to coach
the user over the course of the workout.
In one or more embodiments, the form-fitting sensor garment may be
part of a textile-based human MAF system. Processing and
communication electronics on the form-fitting sensor garment may
allow for data exchange (e.g., via a wireless communications link)
with the exercise equipment, the smart personal communication
device (SPCD), the feedback device and/or the Internet (e.g.,
computers implemented remotely and available via the Internet). In
one or more embodiments, user-friendly techniques for pairing and
communicating among the various components of the textile-based
human MAF system are disclosed.
The features and advantages of various embodiments of the
textile-based human MAF system may be better understood with
reference to the figures and discussions that follow.
FIG. 1A depicted an example of a simplified representation of
various components of a textile-based human monitoring, analysis,
and feedback (MAF) system 100.
With reference to FIG. 1A, there is depicted a form-fitting sensor
garment 102, representing a compressive, stretchable, and
form-fitting garment to be worn by a human subject (not shown).
Although form-fitting sensor garment 102 is shown to be a shirt, it
can take any other garment form factor including but not limited to
shorts, pants, elbow pad, knee pad, undergarment, neck wrap, glove,
and the like, etc. A plurality of sensors 104A, 104B, and 104C are
depicted as being disposed at various positions on the fabric of
form-fitting sensor garment 102. As described above, a pair of
electrodes and associated electronics may form a sensor, which may
receive as inputs a potential difference generated on the human
skin due to ions flowing in muscle fibers as a result of muscle
activity. The associated electronics of the sensor may include
filtering and impedance transferring. Although only three sensors
(104A-104C) are depicted, it should be understood that there is no
limit to the number and different types of sensors that may be
employed and more or fewer sensors may be implemented than are
depicted in the example of FIG. 1A.
In an embodiment, the electrodes of the sensor may be disposed on
the inside of the garment such that they make direct contact with
the skin generally at locations where muscles of interest are
expected to be located adjacently when the form-fitting sensor
garment 102 is worn. In another embodiment, the electrodes may be
formed externally to the garment 102 so that they do not make
direct contact with the skin but are electrically coupled to the
bio potential signals from the skin proximate the electrodes
position in the garment 102. As mentioned above, in an embodiment,
redundant sensors may be incorporated into the garment to take into
account the fact that the human subject may not wear the garment
exactly the same way every time or different human subjects may be
built differently. Also as mentioned, intelligent logic may then
determine, from all available sensors, the optimal for use in
monitoring performance in connection with a particular exercise
routine. Moreover, as described above, designed structures,
alignment marks, markers or other visual indicia may be positioned
on and/or woven into, or otherwise integrated with the form-fitting
sensor garment 102 to aid the user in correct placement of the
sensors when putting on (e.g., donning garment 102) the
form-fitting sensor garment 102. The designed structures, alignment
marks or other visual indicia may be configured or otherwise
designed to include an esthetic element, a logo, an icon, a fashion
design, a distinctive pattern, or a color scheme, for example. In
other examples, the alignment marks or other visual indicia may
serve a variety of purposes, such as in machine/computer vision
analysis of the motion of the human subject's body during an
activity being monitored by the sensors 104A-104C, where a
machine/computer vision apparatus may use the alignment marks or
other visual indicia to track body motion or motion of a portion of
the body the alignment marks or other visual indicia are positioned
on. Analysis of sensor data from the sensors as well as data from
the vision analysis (e.g., in real-time) may be used for a variety
of purposes including but not limited to coaching the user,
physical therapy, choreography, stunts and/or special effects in
movies and/or TV, athletic pursuits, competitions, or other
endeavors that involve motion of the body. Other sensors such as
gyroscopes, magnetometers, accelerometers, temperature, GSR, HR,
bioimpedance, etc., may be used in in some combination in
conjunction with sensors 104A-104C and the machine/computer vision
apparatus.
Typically, electrodes of sensors 104A-104C may be a solid
conductive material bonded or woven or a conductive resin (e.g.,
polymers, silicone, neoprene, thermoplastics, etc.) applied through
a screening, printing or gluing process, or combination thereof, in
either a permanent or detachable manner, to the fabric or to
another conductive substrate attached to the fabric of the
form-fitting sensor garment 102. The electrodes may be formed from
a flexible PCB substrate (e.g., Kapton or other laminates) that may
be bonded to the garment 102. Thus, unlike the conventional
electrodes described above, the user does not have to manually
attach the electrodes to different specific locations on the skin
in the manner required for conventional physiological monitoring
apparatus. In the example herein, sensors 104A-104C may be washable
electromyography sensors although it should be understood, as
mentioned, that other types of sensors may well be alternatively or
additionally employed. Preferably, sensors 104A-104C are
constructed such that they may withstand repeated wash-and-dry
cycles typical of wearable clothing. In other examples, sensors
104A-104C are constructed such that they may withstand repeated
wash-and-hang-dry cycles typical of wearable clothing. Form-fitting
sensor garment 102 may be made from materials, circuitry,
structures or the like that may be amendable to any number of wash
cycles (e.g., in a washing machine or hand washing) and/or drying
cycles (e.g., in a gas or electric dryer). Form-fitting sensor
garment 102 may be made from materials, circuitry, structures or
the like that may be amendable to dry-cleaning processes and the
chemicals used in dry-cleaning processes. However, in some
applications it may be preferable to hang-dry (e.g., air dry)
garment 102, to preserve an appearance of the material (e.g.,
fabrics, colors, dyes, etc.) used for the garment 102, to prevent
dryer lint or the like from gathering on the garment 102, and to
prevent damage to the garment 102, its electronics, fabrics,
sensors, or the like due to inadvertently drying the garment 102 at
too high a temperature. In some applications garment 102 may be
configured for machine drying, air drying, or both. Actual washing
and/or drying instructions and/or processes for the garment 102
will be application dependent and are not limited to the examples
described herein.
A controller 106 may be coupled with sensors 104A-104C via a
network of flexible signal conductors 108 (which may be
electrically conductive or optical). In one embodiment, sensors
104A-104C may communicate with controller 106 via a wired (e.g.,
hard wired) interface. In another embodiment, sensors 104A-104C may
communicate with controller 106 via a wireless interface that may
use a variety of wireless protocols including but not limited to
NFC, Bluetooth, any variety of 802.x, just to name a few.
Preferably, signal conductors 108 may be constructed such that they
can also withstand repeated wash-and-dry cycles or wash and
hang-dry cycles that typical of wearable clothing. Bonded insulated
conductors, such as Kapton and laminate based printed circuit
boards, wire, cable, coaxial conductors, shielded conductors,
flexible printed circuits (FPC), flat flexible cable (FFC),
electrically conductive threads, or silk-screened/printed
electrically conductive resins are examples of technologies that
may be used to implement signal conductors 108. In some examples,
sensors 104A-104C may communicate with controller 106 using a
combination of wired and wireless communications links. Controller
106 may comprise one or more controllers or one or more processors.
In some examples controller 106 may alternatively be referred to as
a processor or processor 106.
Typically, controller 106 may include communication electronics
(e.g., one or more radios for a wireless communications link) to
permit form-fitting sensor garment 102 to communicate (e.g.,
wireless data) with one or more of exercise equipment communication
device 110, smart personal communication device (SPCD) 112 (e.g., a
smart phone, tablet, or pad), feedback device 114 (if such feedback
device is other than SPCD 112), or the Internet 120 via an
appropriate router/access point arrangement, such as a wireless
network (e.g., Bluetooth (BT), BT Low Energy, NFC, WiFi, any
variety of IEEE 802.x, etc.). The electronics for implementing
controller 106 may be permanently attached to the fabric of
form-fitting garment (in which case controller 106 may be
constructed such that it can withstand repeated wash-and-dry and/or
wash and hang dry cycles typical of wearable clothing) or may be
detachable from the garment 102 prior to washing/drying the garment
102.
Controller 106 may also include processing electronics for
performing some or all required signal processing on the sensed
signals acquired from electrodes in sensors 104A-104C. In one or
more embodiments, such signal processing (e.g., amplifying or
filtering) may be performed locally in one or more of the sensors
104A-104C, at the controller 106, or both, for example. Controller
106 may also include signal processing for performing data analysis
and feedback data generation. In one or more embodiments, such data
analysis and feedback data generation may be performed at one or
more of controller 106, SPCD 112, feedback device 114 (if such
feedback device is other than SPCD 112), or the Internet 120.
Therefore, signal processing for performing data analysis and
feedback data generation may occur solely in the garment 102 and
its associated electronic circuitry, external to garment 102, or
both where some portion of the processing is done in the garment
and other portions are done external to the garment 102 using
processors and resources of external devices and/or systems.
Controller 106 may include one or more processors, multi-core
processors, one or more digital signal processors (DSP), one or
more micro-processors (.mu.P), one or more micro-controllers
(.mu.C), one or more application specific integrated circuits
(ASIC), one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), one or
more analog-to-digital converters (ADC), one or more
digital-to-analog converters (DAC), a system on chip (SoC), one or
more operational amplifiers, custom logic, programmable logic,
analog circuitry, mixed analog and digital circuitry, or the like,
just to name a few. Garment 102 may include one or more radios
configured to transmit, receive, or both, radio frequency (RF)
signals for one or more wireless communications links as described
above in reference to FIGS. 1A-1B. A plurality of radios may
communicate using a plurality of wireless protocols and the
plurality of wireless protocols may be different protocols.
FIG. 1A also depicts an example of an optional equipment detector
(ED) 116, representing a communication device (e.g., a wireless
device) for obtaining information from exercise equipment
communicating device 110. ED 116 may be included in controller 106
and need not be a separate block as depicted. Typically, it is
contemplated that each piece of exercise equipment in a gym or
other exercise facility may be equipped with its own exercise
equipment communicating device 110 (e.g., a wired or wireless
communications link). For example, exercise equipment communicating
devices 110 may be implemented using RFID (Radio Frequency ID)
devices, NFC (Near Field Communication) devices, some form of tag
implemented in computer readable code such as QR (Quick Response)
code or bar code, or even communication electronics that broadcast
(e.g., wirelessly, either on its own or in response to an inquiry)
information regarding the exercise equipment (e.g., 190) or the
types of exercises that may be performed on the exercise equipment.
The information from the exercise equipment communicating devices
110 may be read by equipment detector 116 in order to acquire the
aforementioned information regarding the exercise equipment or the
types of exercises that may be performed on the exercise
equipment.
Electrical power for equipment detector (ED) 116, sensors
104A-104C, and controller 106 may be provided by a battery pack
118, which may be attached to form-fitting sensor garment 102 in a
permanent or detachable manner. Battery pack 118 may represent a
one-time-use, disposable battery or may represent a rechargeable
battery pack (e.g., Lithium-Ion, Nickel Metal Hydride, or the like)
to be recharged for use via a charging port (e.g., a micro USB
connector) implemented with battery pack 118 or on form-fitting
sensor garment 102 or via a wireless charging technology such as
inductive charging. The battery pack 118 (rechargeable or
otherwise) may be configured to be replaceable (e.g., by the user)
in the event the battery fails or to swap out a battery with low
charge or no charge, with a freshly charged battery, for example.
Battery pack 118 may be configured to accept batteries with
different amp-hour capacities to provide sufficient duration of
operation of garment 102 and its associated electronics, such as
1500 mAh, 3000 mAh, etc. Battery pack 118 may be configured to
endure several wash cycles, dry cycles or both. Alternatively,
battery pack 118 may be configured to be removable from garment 102
when the garment 102 is to be washed and/or dried.
FIG. 2 depicts an example use scenario 200 for the textile-based
human MAF system 100 depicted in FIG. 1A. The stages depicted in
FIG. 2 may be better understood when reviewed together with FIG. 1B
which depicts one example of various components of the
textile-based human MAF system 100 depicted in FIG. 1A. Components
depicted in FIG. 1B may have similar reference numbers to
components depicted in FIG. 1A and may be intended to represent
similar components.
Referring again to FIG. 2, at a stage 202, a system schema is
obtained. As the term is employed herein, the system schema may
represent the reference muscle exertion data associated with a
given exercise. For example, a bicep curl exercise may be
represented by a system schema that specifies the level of exertion
that should be experienced by the bicep muscle (e.g., fairly high)
and lower back muscle (e.g., fairly low). The system schema may
include one or more other schemas including but not limited to a
user schema, a workout schema, and an environmental schema, just to
name a few. System schema may be a combination of workout and/or
exercise parameters, user specific parameters (e.g., BMI, percent
body fat, weight, etc.), or electrode environmental parameters
(e.g., sweat, body hair, etc.).
In accordance with a highly advantageous aspect of the present
application, a system schema associated with a particular exercise
may be automatically obtained in a user-friendly manner (e.g.,
wirelessly) without requiring data entry by the human subject. In
an embodiment, equipment detector (ED) 116 may be brought into
range (e.g., wireless range or near-field wireless range for NFC)
or enabled to read information from or communicate with exercise
equipment communicating device 110, which is affixed to the
exercise equipment (e.g., a bench press machine 190 or other piece
of equipment) or associated therewith.
Information (e.g., data) obtained from exercise equipment
communicating device 110 may be as simple as a code that identifies
the exercise equipment (e.g., "bench press equipment") or the
exercise to be performed (e.g., "bench press"). This information
may be relayed (e.g., wirelessly) from ED 116 to controller 106
(e.g., see paths 150/152 in FIG. 1B) so that controller 106 may
decode the information to obtain the system schema at the stage
202.
Alternatively, the information acquired by ED 116 may be relayed
from ED 116 to controller 106 and then to SPCD 112 (e.g., see paths
150/152/154 of FIG. 1B) so that SPCD 112 may decode the information
to obtain the system schema. Alternatively, the information may be
further relayed from SPCD 112 to the Internet 120 (e.g., see paths
150/152/154/156) or from controller 106 to the Internet 120 and
bypassing SPCD 120 (e.g., see paths 150/152/158). One or more
computers 198 and 199 may be implemented remotely and may
communicate (198a, 198b) via Internet 120 may then decode the
relayed information to obtain the system schema and to send the
information back.
Alternatively, the information from the exercise equipment
communicating device 110 may be obtained directly by controller 106
and may bypass ED 116 (e.g., see path 160) or by SPCD 112 and may
bypass both ED 116 and controller 106 (e.g., see path 162). For
example, controller 106 or SPCD 112 may directly read or sense the
information from exercise equipment communicating device 110 in one
or more embodiments. After direct acquisition by controller 106 or
by SPCD 112, the information from exercise equipment communicating
device 110 may be processed in any of the manners discussed above
(e.g., by controller 106, by SPCD 112, or by Internet 120 via any
other paths depicted in FIG. 1B) to obtain the system schema at the
stage 202. In some examples Internet 120 may be a resource such as
a web site, web page, cloud storage, cloud computing, a server
farm, network attached storage (NAS), RAID storage, or other
resource that may provide compute engines (e.g., 198, 199) and/or
data storage. Computers 198 and 199 may be directly coupled with
data storage (not shown) or in communication with external data
storage (e.g., Internet 120) (not shown). Examples of data storage
include but are not limited to hard disc drives (HDD), solid state
drives (SSD), RAID, NAS, Optical Disc, Flash memory, just to name a
few.
In one or more examples, the information provided from exercise
equipment communicating device 110 to ED 116 or controller 106 or
SPCD 112 (e.g., depending on implementation) may be as complete as
the entire system schema itself. In this example, no decoding is
necessary to obtain the system schema at the stage 202.
In an additional example, SPCD 112 may retrieve the system schema
at the stage 202 from a locally stored and pre-determined workout
regimen or from the Internet 120 based on a user profile, for
example. In this example, information from communicating device 110
may not be required.
Referring again to FIG. 2, sensors 104A-104C may be selected and/or
calibrated in preparation for monitoring at a stage 204. Sensor
selection may be performed if the form-fitting sensor garment 102
has redundant sensors. Calibration may be performed to take into
account effects including but not limited to different body fat
percentages, BMI's, bodily hair, or other factors associated with
different human subjects, for example.
At a stage 206, muscle activation data may be acquired by sensors
104A-104C (or other sensors) while the user performs the exercise
and transmitted to logic for analysis. The muscle activation data
may be communicated via signal conductors 108 (as mentioned in
connection with FIG. 1A) to controller 106. Analysis may be
performed at controller 106 if controller 106 is endowed with logic
and/or algorithms (e.g., software and/or hardware and/or firmware)
to perform the analysis (in which case controller 106 may have to
access to the earlier discussed system schema at the stage 202 for
analysis purpose). This is shown by a path for signal conductors
108 in FIG. 1B. Although all of the sensors 104A-104C are depicted
directly coupled to a single controller 106, it should be
understood that such coupling may be an actual/physical coupling or
may be a logical coupling. For example, multiple controllers (e.g.,
multiple controllers 106) may cooperate to share the data
processing task or to relay information from one or more sensors to
the appropriate controller or controllers for further data
processing.
Alternatively, the muscle activation data may be communicated from
sensors 104A-104C to controller 106 and then may be relayed to SPCD
112 for analysis (in which case SPCD 112 may have access to the
earlier discussed system schema at the stage 202 for analysis
purpose). This is depicted by paths 108/154 in FIG. 1B.
At this point, a short description regarding wireless communication
may be useful. Typically, wireless communication among components
of textile-based human MAF system 100 may employ any suitable air
interface, including for example Bluetooth.TM. (in its various
implementations, including low power Bluetooth), ANT.TM., WiFi.TM.,
WiMAX.TM., infrared, cellular technology (such as for example
GSM.TM., CDMA.TM., 2G.TM., 3G.TM., 4G.TM., 5G.TM., LTE.TM.,
GPRS.TM.), etc. The selection of the appropriate air interface for
communication depends on the air interface availability in the
devices and/or at the location, cost, convenience, and/or other
factors.
Alternatively or additionally, the muscle activation data may be
forwarded from SPCD 112 to Internet 120 (e.g., via path 164/156 or
path 108/154/156) or from controller 106 to Internet 120 bypassing
SPCD 120 (e.g., path 108/158) for analysis by one or more remotely
implemented computers (e.g., 198, 199) through Internet 120.
Alternatively, the muscle activation data may be communicated from
sensors 104A-104C directly to Internet 120 for analysis (in which
case the sensors 104A-104C may be equipped with communication
circuitry such as wireless communication circuitry, and computers
(e.g., 198, 199) implemented via the Internet 120 may have access
to the earlier discussed system schema at the stage 202 for
analysis purpose). This is shown by example path 178 in FIG. 1B.
Computers (e.g., 198, 199) may be in wired or wireless
communication (198a, 198b) with the Internet 120.
In accordance with a particularly advantageous aspect of the
present application, analysis may be performed not only on a single
muscle, but on a plurality of muscles in accordance to the system
schema at the stage 202. Analysis may be performed at one or more
of the controller 106, the SPCD 112, the Internet 120, or any
combination thereof, for example.
Analysis at a stage 208 may include, in one or more embodiments,
comparing the exertion level of individual muscles (e.g., obtained
from the muscle activation data from the sensors 104A-104C) with
the reference exertion level of those muscles (e.g., obtained from
the system schema at the stage 202). This analysis may reveal, for
example, whether the human subject is performing the exercise at
the appropriate intensity level (e.g., by looking at the intensity
data from the sensors 104A-104C and comparing such information with
corresponding information in the reference system schema at the
stage 202). This analysis may also reveal, for example, whether the
human subject is performing the exercise incorrectly. This may be
the case if, for example, one muscle in the group of muscles under
monitoring by the sensors 104A-104C is over-exerted or
under-exerted. Other sensor data such as bend-angle sensor data or
accelerometer sensor data may be used to improve the accuracy of
the analysis at the stage 208.
Analysis at the stage 208 may include, alternatively or
additionally, comparing the duration of the exertion of individual
muscles (e.g., obtained from the muscle activation data from the
sensors 104A-104C) with the reference exertion duration of those
muscles (e.g., obtained from the system schema at the stage 202).
Analysis may include, alternatively or additionally, comparing the
number of exertion repetitions in a set (obtained from the muscle
activation data from the sensors 104A-104C) with the reference
exertion repetitions for those muscles (e.g., obtained from the
system schema at the stage 202).
Analysis at the stage 208 may include, alternatively or
additionally accumulating an activity score based on an
electromyography signal. Such a score may be in different
resolution forms such as the overall body or individual muscles.
This allows the user to compare intensity level as measured through
muscle exertion over time.
Analysis at the stage 208 may include, alternatively or
additionally determining the number of repetitions and an
approximation of the weight used. Such analysis may be determined
by statistical analysis on saved user data or by comparing the user
data against a larger data set of all active users stored in
Internet 120 in FIG. 2. User data may be stored on one of
controller 106, SPCD 112 or equipment 110.
Analysis at the stage 208 may include, alternatively or
additionally updating a user profile and comparing against profiles
of one or more other users. In one embodiment, user profile data
may include a history of workout sessions including overall
exertion as well as individually monitored muscles. In another
embodiment, profile data may include goals set by the user and
additionally or alternatively challenges from other users (e.g., to
motivate the user). For example, the challenges may come from other
persons or users who may be associated with a social network (e.g.,
Facebook.RTM., Twitter.RTM.), professional network (e.g.,
LinkedIn.RTM.), or the like. Through social and/or professional
networking of user profiles including historical workout data,
motivation is increased by the competitive environment created.
Additionally, challenges may be proposed by the system (e.g.,
controller 106 and/or other system in communication with controller
106). A combination of progressive challenges (e.g., a series of
challenges, each with higher goals to be achieved) may lead the
user to higher and higher levels as in a gaming scenario were
gameificaiton of the challenges may comprise the user taking on
progressive challenges against goals set by the user, the system,
others, or by other competitors in the game, for example.
In accordance with a particularly advantageous aspect of the
present application, a result of the analysis at the stage 208 may
be immediately communicated to the user at a stage 210 via a
display 112a of device 112 (e.g., a smartphone, table, pad,
eyeglasses 182, etc.) or an auxiliary feedback device such as
devices 114 substantially in real time (e.g., immediately after
data acquisition and analysis is completed, factoring in real-world
delays in data transmission and processing). Feedback at the stage
210 may, for example, include a representation of the body and
visually depict the muscles being exerted, along with a color
gradient or an overlay with relative exertion or other data
depiction scheme to communicate the intensity level and/or duration
and/or number of repetitions associated with each muscle. The
feedback at the stage 210 may also include recommendations (e.g.,
"push more with the left arm" "slow down when lowering your arm")
or warning (e.g., "do not swing while lifting") or other coaching
information while the human subject is performing the exercise. The
feedback at the stage 210 may be alternatively or additionally be
in the form of audio feedback (e.g., on SPCD 112 or device 180), in
one or more embodiments.
Additionally, feedback at the stage 210 may be stored on either the
controller 106, the SPCD 112 or the Internet 120 for later viewing
and/or audio playback. In one example, after completing a set or
portion of a workout session the user may "playback" visual
features including the body representation with muscle depiction.
This allows the user to get feedback at a time that is convenient
and not during a strenuous activity. Other features can be added to
compare the "playback" with other users who may be a part of the
system environment. For example using a professional athlete as a
benchmark of comparison.
Feedback device 114 may be implemented by a built-in display 112a
of SPCD 112 (e.g., a LCD, OLED, touch screen, etc.) by an external
display 170, by audio playback device (such as headset 180, which
may be in communication with controller 106, SPCD 112, external
display 170 and/or Internet 120), or by digital eyewear (see 182 in
FIG. 1A). Feedback device 114 may provide feedback information in
either graphical, video, or audio format to the user.
For example, the analysis result at the stage 208 (e.g., as a type
of feedback at the stage 210) may be displayed on the display
screen 112a of SPCD 112 after analysis by SPCD 112. Alternatively,
the analysis result may be displayed (e.g., using wireless
communication if necessary) on the display screen 112a of SPCD 112
if analysis takes place elsewhere (e.g., communicated via path 154
if analysis is performed on controller 106 or via path 156 if
analysis is performed via Internet 120). Alternatively or
additionally, the analysis result may be displayed on an external
display 170 (e.g., communicated via path 172 or path 154/174 if
analysis is performed on controller 106 or communicated via path
156/174 or path 176 if analysis is performed by Internet 120).
Alternatively or additionally, the analysis result at the stage 208
may be displayed on digital eyeglasses (see 182 in FIG. 1A) instead
of external display 170. Alternatively or additionally, the
analysis result at the stage 208 may be converted to an audio
format and played back using a headset 180 (e.g., a wireless
headset, earpiece, headphones, or the like).
In accordance with a particularly advantageous aspect of the
present application, the analysis result at the stage 208 may be
employed to alter the behavior of the exercise equipment 190 in
order to improve the exercise experience and/or exercise efficacy
for the human user at a stage 212. For example, if the user is
perceived to employ bad form while exercising at the maximum
intensity level, the resistance level of a stationary bicycle or
the incline angle of a treadmill or the resistance level of a
resistance exercise equipment may be automatically reduced (e.g.,
in real time, using a motor or transducer operating under the
command of controller 106 or SPCD 112) in order to help improve the
exercise form of the user. Contrarily, if the analysis at the stage
208 reveals that the user can rapidly perform the exercise without
much muscle strain, the resistance level of a stationary bicycle or
the incline angle of a treadmill or the resistance level of a
resistance exercise equipment may be changed (e.g., in real time)
in order to present a more meaningful or beneficial exercise to the
human subject.
In accordance with a particularly advantageous aspect of the
present application, the system schema at the stage 202 may be
individualized and/or customized using user data such as the user's
profile/objective data (e.g., BMI, weight, height, training
experience, past exercise session data) or the users subjective
input (e.g., training goal, desired exertion level/duration/number
of repetitions/number of sets). Objective data could be simplified
by asking the user to identify with visual representations (e.g.,
using a GUI on display 112a) of different body types to reduce the
amount of manual input required. In this manner, the human
subject's workout session may be individualized and/or customized
when the muscle activation data is compared against the
individualized and/or customized system schema at the stage
202.
In one or more embodiments, the system schema at the stage 202 may
also be customized using social and/or professional network input.
For example, recommendations from coaches or challenges from other
workout partners may be employed to change the system schema at the
stage 202 in order to provide the human subject with a more optimal
workout session. Customization using social and/or professional
network input may be accomplished in real-time (e.g., to optimize
the present workout session) or may occur post workout in
preparation for future workout sessions where the recommendations
may be acted on to optimize the workout session.
In accordance with one or more embodiments, form-fitting sensor
garment 102 (or more specifically controller 106 of form-fitting
sensor garment 102) may automatically pair with SPCD 112. Pairing,
in the context of the present invention, may pertain to the
association of a specific device with another specific device to
facilitate wireless data communication and/or wireless data
security/confidentiality. Likewise, form-fitting sensor garment 102
(or more specifically controller 106 of form-fitting sensor garment
102) may automatically pair (e.g., BT paring) with exercise
equipment 190 (or more specifically with exercise equipment
communication device 110 thereof). Likewise, SPCD 112 may
automatically pair with exercise equipment 190 (or more
specifically with exercise equipment communication device 110).
In one or more embodiments, form-fitting sensor garment 102 (or
more specifically controller 106 of form-fitting sensor garment
102) may intelligently pair with SPCD 112 to reduce power
consumption (e.g., from battery pack 118). In an example of
intelligent pairing, the communication apparatus would be turned
off during periods of inactivity, such as when the user is resting.
When controller 106, through algorithmic implementation, detects
the commencing of activity the communicating apparatus would be
turned on and pairing completed. Likewise, form-fitting sensor
garment 102 (or more specifically controller 106 of form-fitting
sensor garment 102) may intelligently pair with exercise equipment
190 (or more specifically with exercise equipment communication
device 110 thereof) to reduce power consumption. Likewise, SPCD 112
may intelligently pair with exercise equipment 190 (or more
specifically with exercise equipment communication device 110) to
extend battery life. In other embodiments, processor 106 may scan
for sensor activity from one or more of the sensors (e.g.,
104A-104C) and if no sensor activity is detected, then processor
106 may switch to a low power mode of operation (e.g., to conserve
battery power). Upon detecting sensor activity, processor 106 may
exit the low power mode, analyze the detected sensor activity
(e.g., analyze signals from the sensors) and take appropriate
action. In some examples, the appropriate action may comprise the
processor 106 switching back to the low power mode of operation,
because the signals analyzed were not indicative of the type of
activity the sensor is intended to sense, for example. Lack of
motion or other physical activity or lack thereof by user may serve
to trigger entry into the low power mode of operation for processor
106. For example, sensor not detecting muscle activity may prompt
processor 106 to switch to the low power mode of operation.
Subsequently, detection of muscle activity may prompt processor 106
to exit the low power mode of operation. As another example, a
motion sensor (e.g., an accelerometer, motion detector, or
gyroscope) may output a signal indicative of no motion or motion
below a threshold indicative of sufficient activity by user and
that signal may prompt processor 106 to switch to the low power
mode of operation. Subsequently, motion detector may generate a
signal indicative of sufficient activity by user (e.g., running,
walking, etc.) and processor 106 may switch out of the low power
mode of operation to another mode where the signal from motion
detector is analyzed and acted on.
Likewise, form-fitting sensor garment 102 (or more specifically
controller 106 of form-fitting sensor garment 102) may
automatically pair with the external display 170 or the headset 180
or the digital eyeglass 182 as described earlier. Likewise, SPCD
112 may automatically pair or otherwise establish a wireless
communication link (e.g., via BT, WiFi, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, or other
protocol) with one or more of the external display 170, the headset
180, or the digital eyeglass 182 as described above.
In an example, pairing may be assumed when two communication
devices establish wireless communication (e.g., such as by the act
of bringing the two devices closer together or by passing the
devices over one another or tapping the devices together as in NFC
or other low power close proximity RF protocol, or causing one
device to communicate with another device). In one or more
embodiments, the proposed pairing may be detected and optionally
presented to the human subject (e.g., such as via a display screen
112a of SPCD 112) for approval by the human subject prior to the
actual pairing. In this manner, pairing may be made automatic
(e.g., with no user intervention) or substantially automatic (e.g.,
with minimal user intervention), greatly improving user
friendliness aspect of the textile-based human MAF system 100.
In one or more embodiments, sensor data and/or analysis data may be
time-stamped and automatically stored in one or more of controller
106, SPCD 112, and remote computer (198, 199) via Internet 120 in
order to build up one or more user profiles over time, for example.
This user profile data may be employed for historical analysis of
workout sessions for a particular user, for customizing the system
schema, for tracking workout progress, or for scientific/medical
analysis by a third party, or for social/professional network
sharing, and for challenges, for example. This aspect of automatic
active management and updating the user profile presents a
significant improvement over conventional workout data logging
methods, which typically involve tediously manually writing down on
paper or typing into an electronic device parameters regarding a
workout session. Automatic paring and data logging make it more
likely that the user would continue to use the textile-based human
MAF system 100.
In accordance with an aspect of the present application,
statistical correlations may be made over time to predict the
weight that the human subject employs in a particular weight
training exercise. Since data pertaining to the type of exercise
and the equipment (obtained from the system schema at the stage
202) and pertaining to the user profile (e.g., BMI, height, age,
exercise history) is available, examples may correlate the weight
employed (either input by the user initially via an appropriate
input device or guessed by the system and confirmed or rejected by
the human subject) with specific signature profile in the sensor
signals. If a large set of such data is collected over time,
statistical inferences may be made in the future to predict the
weight being employed by the human subject even without an explicit
input by the user pertaining to the weight employed. This
statistical inference may be made based on, for example, the sensor
signal amplitude or signature, the type of exercise and the
equipment employed, the user profile, etc. Feedback by the human
subject pertaining to weight prediction accuracy may be employed to
refine the prediction model over time, thereby improving prediction
accuracy as time goes by. Once weight prediction becomes more
accurate and practical, record keeping may be further simplified
since the user no longer has to manually enter the amount of weight
used. Instant feedback and coaching may also become more meaningful
when weight information is always accurately tracked and rendered
available to the feedback/coaching logic.
In other examples, statistical correlation may also be made between
sensor signals and exercise repetitions to automatically generate
and log repetition data as the human subject exercises. Correlation
can be made across multiple sensor signals to identify a particular
workout or correlation on the signal itself to identify patterns
representative or exercise repetitions. Likewise, statistical
correlation may also be made between sensor signals and exercise
duration to automatically generate and log duration data as the
human subject exercises. Such duration data may be tracked with
high granularity (e.g., time duration/repetition, time
duration/set, time duration/exercise session, etc.) and with a high
degree of consistency. Once repetition and duration information is
automatically harvested, record keeping may be further simplified
since the user no longer has to manually enter the repetition and
duration information. Instant feedback and coaching may also become
more meaningful when repetition and duration information is
automatically tracked and rendered available to the
feedback/coaching logic. Since information pertaining to the
exercise involved and the exercise machine involved may also be
automatically harvested and tracked, instant feedback, analysis,
and coaching may be further enhanced.
Attention is now directed to FIG. 3 where one example of an
electromyography electrode 300 is depicted. In FIG. 3, an electrode
base 302 may be formed using a conductive resin (e.g., silicone,
neoprene, rubber, polymers, thermoplastics, etc.). The electrode
base 302 may be formed directly, in some examples, on fabric 304 of
the form-fitting sensor garment 102. Electrode base 302 may be
deposited by a process similar to painting such as silk-screening,
printing, or other processes for depositing or otherwise forming an
electrically conductive material on another material, such as on
fabric 304, for example. One or more portions of a surface 302s of
electrode base 302 may be urged into contact with skin of a user
who dons garment 102. Surface 302s may have any shape or surface
profile (e.g., planar, arcuate, undulating, etc.) and is not
limited to the configuration depicted in FIG. 3.
A conductive lead 306, which may be formed of a conductive material
(e.g., an electrically conductive material) or a fiber optic
material (e.g., a plastic or glass fiber optic cable or optical
waveguide), is depicted as being embedded in electrode base 302 and
may serve as the signal conduit between the sensor electronics and
the electrode 302. Conductive lead 306 may likewise be deposited by
a process similar to painting such as silk-screening or printing or
may be conductive traces laminated in a flexible and/or stretchable
PCB substrate, flexible printed circuitry (FPC), or flat flexible
cable (FFC), that is then adhered onto the garment 102 (e.g., on an
interior or exterior surface of the garment 102). In some
applications, it may be desirable for esthetic, industrial design,
fashion, practical, or troubleshooting reasons to position some or
all of the conductive lead(s) 306 on an exterior surface of the
garment 102 so that they are visible to the human subject or others
when the garment 102 is worn. Using the conductive lead(s) 306 for
esthetic, industrial design, or fashion reasons may make the
conductive lead(s) 306 hide in plain sight and not be recognized as
conductive lead(s) 306 for a sensor enabled garment, but rather as
design elements of an article of clothing or allow the garment 102
to be worn in scenarios (e.g., for casual dressing or as sporty
clothing) other than those associated with sensing data from muscle
activation as described herein.
In an embodiment, lead 306 may be permanently attached to electrode
base 302. In another embodiment, lead 306 may be detachable, using
a detachable connector configured to couple with a corresponding
connector of electrode base 302. In either case, a pair of leads
306 coupled with two neighboring electrodes 302 may permit the
sensor electronics to sense the potential difference between the
electrodes 302 and outputs a difference between the potentials (or
a processed version thereof) as an output signal(s).
FIG. 4A depicts one example 400 of an implementation of sensor
electronics. In FIG. 4A, sensor electronics 420 (such as integrated
circuits (IC's), ASIC's, FPGA's, programmable logic, conductors,
circuit boards, and/or discrete components) may be embedded in a
sensor base 402 to secure the electronic components of sensor
electronics 420 in place as well as to protect the electronic
components that comprise the sensor electronics 420 from the
outside environment (e.g., exposure to the elements and/or physical
damage). Sensor base 402 may preferably formed of a non-conductive
resin (e.g., a non-conducive rubber-like potting material) and is
preferably chosen for durability in the human exercise environment
as well as in repeated wash-and-dry cycles. Conductive leads 306,
which are in electrical communication with electrode bases 302 of
FIG. 3, may be coupled with the sensor electronics 420 of sensor
base 402 in a permanent or detachable manner.
In an embodiment, sensor base 402 may be formed directly on the
fabric or other material of the form-fitting sensor garment 102. As
before, the sensor base 402 may be deposited by a process similar
to painting such as silk screening or printing as described above
for lead 306. Sensor base 402, along with the sensor electronics
420, may be permanently attached to the fabric of the form-fitting
sensor garment or may be made detachable. Velcro or other
mechanical fasteners may be employed if a detachable implementation
is desired. An output lead 406 may be coupled, in a permanent or
detachable manner, with the sensor electronics 420 to output the
sensor signal(s). In an embodiment, signal communication may be
wireless in which case an output lead (e.g., 306, 406, 408) may not
be necessary. One or more conductors 408 may also be coupled with
the sensor electronics 420, in a permanent or detachable manner, to
provide power (e.g., from battery pack 118), ground, other signals,
etc. In some examples, power for sensor electronics 420 may be
positioned in or on sensor base 402. In other examples, sensor base
402 may be configured to be detachable from garment 102. Detachment
may allow for one or more of sensor re-positioning on the garment
102, charging, replacing, or servicing a power source (e.g.,
rechargeable battery) for the sensor electronics 420. In yet other
examples, sensor base 302 and sensor electronics 402 may be
detachably connected with each other.
FIG. 4B depicts another example 450 of an implementation of a
sensor 460 that includes sensor electronics 420 and
electromyography electrodes 300 that are integrated into the sensor
460. In FIG. 4B, sensor electronics 420 (such as integrated
circuits (IC's), ASIC's, FPGA's, programmable logic, conductors,
circuit boards, and/or discrete components) may be embedded in a
sensor base 452 to secure the electronic components of sensor
electronics 420 in place as well as to protect the electronic
components that comprise the sensor electronics 420 from the
outside environment (e.g., exposure to the elements and/or physical
damage). Sensor base 452 may preferably formed of a non-conductive
resin (e.g., a non-conducive rubber-like potting material) and is
preferably chosen for durability in the human exercise environment
as well as in repeated wash-and-dry cycles. Conductive leads 306 or
other electrically conductive structures in EM electrodes 300 may
be coupled with the sensor electronics 420 of their respective
sensors 460.
In an embodiment, sensor base 452 may be formed directly on the
fabric or other material of the form-fitting sensor garment 102. As
before, the sensor base 452 may be deposited by a process similar
to painting such as silk screening or printing as described above.
Sensor base 452, along with the sensors 460, may be permanently
attached to the fabric of the form-fitting sensor garment or may be
made detachable. Velcro or other mechanical fasteners may be
employed if a detachable implementation is desired. An output lead
456 may be coupled, in a permanent or detachable manner, with the
sensor electronics 420 to output the sensor signal(s). In an
embodiment, signal communication may be wireless in which case an
output lead 456 may not be necessary. One or more conductors 458
may also be coupled with the sensor electronics 420, in a permanent
or detachable manner, to provide power (e.g., from battery pack
118), ground, other signals, etc. In some examples, power for
sensor electronics 420 may be positioned in or on sensor base 452.
In other examples, sensor base 452 may be configured to be
detachable from garment 102. Detachment may allow for one or more
of charging, replacing, or servicing a power source (e.g.,
rechargeable battery) for the sensor electronics 420. In yet other
examples, sensor base 302 for electrodes 300 and sensor electronics
420 may be detachably connected with each other in the sensor
460.
FIG. 5 depicts one example 500 of electronic circuitry that may be
included in sensor electronics 420. The acquired signals from
electrodes 502A and 502B (e.g., from leads 306) may be received by
differential amplifier 506 via leads 504A and 504B respectively.
Amplifier 506 may act as a voltage amplifier to amplify, in some
examples, a difference between sensed signals. An output of
amplifier 506 may be further processed via filter block 508 to
amplify and isolate a frequency spectrum of a physiological
signal.
In one example, an output signal from filter block 508 may be
further processed, such as by rectification and/or other form of
processing (see 510). Other forms of processing may include
analog-to-digital-conversion (ADC), wireless transmission (e.g.,
via controller 106), for example. In another example, the sensor
may only act as a buffering stage between the electrodes and the
controller 106 (e.g., see 302, 402, and 420 in FIG. 3 and FIGS.
4A-4B). In an embodiment Digital Signal Processing (DSP) may be
used instead of or in addition to the electronic circuitry in the
sensor.
In some examples, the conductors that couple the electrodes to the
sensors and/or the sensors to the controller(s) and/or other
components on the form-fitting sensor garment may be formed using a
flexible multi-conductor ribbon, which may be formed by for example
printing or screening. The multi-conductor ribbon may be disposed
on an appropriate flexible substrate on the fabric, in some
examples. The substrate may be disposed or otherwise directly
attached to the fabric of the form-fitting sensor garment 102, in
one or more examples.
FIG. 6 depicts one example 600 of three example signals sensed by
the same form-fitting sensor garment 102 on three different example
human subjects. The signals in FIG. 6 represent an enveloped
version of the signals obtained from the sensors (e.g., 104A-104C)
without calibration. Many factors may affect the amplitude of the
acquired physiological signal including but not limited to the
thickness of the subcutaneous fat layer between muscle tissue and
skin surface, body hair, strength and conditioning level, where
higher level results in lower muscle fiber recruitment for a given
required force, as well as possible nerve damage. Each of these
factors acts to reduce the sensed electromyography signal. A remedy
may include a calibration component providing flexibility to tune
the system to a specific user for increased accuracy. Signals 602,
604 and 606 depict an example of a decrease in signal amplitude
over time for a given force output as percentage body fat as well
as strength and conditioning level increase for three different
users. Differences in user specific data (e.g., different user
profiles) may be one factor that accounts for differences in
Amplitude between signals 602, 604 and 606 as depicted in the
example 600 of FIG. 6. By modifying the signal level the system
accuracy may be calibrated to a specific user irrespective of
whether the human subject is thin, athletic, or has a high
percentage of body fat.
FIG. 7 depicts a high-level schematic diagram of one example 700 of
a calibration circuit. Signals from electrodes 702A and 702B are
received by sensor electronics 708 via conductors 704A and 704B
respectively. The output of sensor electronics 708 via conductor
706 may represent the sensed signal (SS) from muscle activity
(e.g., from a human subject/user) as described above. This sensed
signal SS may be input into a variable gain block 710, which may
scale the sensed signal SS by a gain factor G (e.g., by multiplying
an amplitude of SS by the gain factor G). The gain adjustment may
be applied to the analog sensed signal SS to improve signal
resolution once sampled.
In some examples, the gain factor G may be preset initially using,
for example, the BMI value that is input by the human subject or
associated with a graphic body type the user has identified with.
The BMI value or other signal may be applied to input node "Preset
G" of variable gain block 710. BMI represents the Body Mass Index,
a measurement that evaluates the body fat percentage of an
individual and is only one possible metric from which an initial
gain level G may be set. By comparing the BMI of the user to a
remote dataset, stored on the Internet 102 as an example, an
appropriate BMI value can be determined using statistical analysis.
This is only one example of how gain information may be acquired
from the user or the user profile, although other parameters (or
derivatives thereof) may also be used.
In an additional examples, the gain factor G may be modified by the
feedback output of block 714 in FIG. 7. Block 714 may represent a
processing block such as a microcontroller (.mu.C), microprocessor
(.mu.P), or FPGA. By analyzing the acquired signal in block 714 the
gain G may be adjusted either directly through path 718 or
indirectly through block 712.
Referring again to FIG. 7, gain G for variable gain block 710 may
be adjusted (e.g., in steps) based on a preset value (e.g., a value
on Preset G) from the aforementioned user profile as well as by
comparing signal level(s) (e.g., on 702A and/or 702B) to a
reference value. In FIG. 7, the signal for gain G (e.g., a value on
Preset G) may be an analog signal(s) or a digital signal(s). Data
for the user profile may be communicated to controller 106
wirelessly from an external source as described above in reference
to FIGS. 1A and 1B. Data for the user profile may also be
communicated via 108 to controller 106 by the equipment detector
(ED) 116 which may be wirelessly communicated to ED 116 by an
external source as described above in reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B.
Controller 106 may process or otherwise analyze the user data, and
optionally other data or signals and output a signal that is
electrically coupled with the Preset G node of variable gain block
710 to set gain G. Here gain G may be adjusted in steps or other
increments based on preset or dynamic values for the user profile.
An output signal from controller 106 may comprise one or more
analog signals or one or more digital signals that are coupled with
the Preset G node of gain block 710.
FIG. 8 depicts an example 800 of one form of implementing the
feedback as may be facilitated by block 714 of FIG. 7 Blocks 808
and 810 may be associated with block 710 of FIG. 7 and the
remaining blocks of FIG. 8 may be associated with block 714 of FIG.
7. A signal from block 810 may represent an analog input to the
processing block 714 and a signal from block 814 may be a sampled
value available for processing. The sampled value may be compared
to a reference level REF LEVEL 850, REF LEVEL 850 may be set and/or
modified from a user metric associated with the user profile, or
from statistical analysis running on a large user based Internet
dataset, such as one in communication with Internet 102, for
example. Block 804 may represent a Control Law which is implemented
as an algorithm(s) in processing block 714. The Control Law may act
to minimize an error between the reference level and the sampled
signal level by increasing the amplitude of an EMG signal through
block 808. Block 808 may represent gain G of block 710 of FIG. 7.
Block 810 may represent a frequency response or a transfer function
of block 710.
FIG. 9 depicts an example of a representation of an
electromyography signal 902 during calibration. A time period t1
may represent a ramp-up period during which the signal 902 is in
the process of being stabilized by the calibration circuit of FIG.
8. Starting at a beginning of the time period t1, Amplitude (e.g.,
a voltage along the Y-axis) of signal 902 may be increased by
increasing the gain G of block 710. For example, the gain G may be
increased to a maximum voltage denoted by a Max voltage along a ADC
Input Range on the Y-axis. As a result, post calibration, an
accuracy of the system for a specific user is increased. A
beginning time period t2 depicts a signal level that appropriately
may utilize the input resolution of the ADC. Post calibration,
signal 902 may be regarded as having been "normalized" for a
specific user based on specific user data. In an embodiment the
foregoing process may be implemented using electronics located in
the sensor (e.g., 104A-104C), in the controller 106 or both.
As may be appreciated from the foregoing description, embodiments
and examples described herein may provide for a consumer-friendly
system or platform for performing health-related and
performance-related human monitoring, analyzing and feedback. By
monitoring multiple muscles simultaneously and/or using multiple
electromyography sensors and/or different types of sensors, and by
leveraging technology widely adopted by consumers (e.g., the
Internet, wireless interface, smart phones, etc.), the exercise
data may be efficiently logged and the human subject may be given
detailed and useful feedback and coaching pertaining not only to
whether the muscle is being exercised, but also whether the right
group of muscles are being exercised for a specific workout
profile, whether a specific muscle is optimally exercised, whether
the exercise form is correct, whether the pattern of muscle
activation and/or intensity thereof indicates potential injury to
one or more of the muscles in the relevant group, etc.
As may be appreciated from the foregoing description, embodiments
and examples described herein may provide for a comprehensive and
user-friendly textile-based human MAF system 100. By providing a
plurality of sensors (e.g., 104A-104C or more) integrated on a
compressive, form-fitting garment 102, problems associated with the
aforementioned conventional gel-based and/or adhesive-based
electrodes may be advantageously avoided. Since the sensors (e.g.,
104A-104C or more) may monitor groups of muscles instead of an
individual muscle, more sophisticated and useful analysis results
(e.g., pertaining to form and injury monitoring) become possible.
Calibration may help to improve data acquisition accuracy by taking
into account different body types when acquiring data from the
sensors (e.g., 104A-104C or more).
The use of different types of sensors together (e.g., a
electromyography sensor, heart rate sensors, respiration sensor,
accelerometer, magnetometer, and a bend-angle sensor) to monitor a
human subject performance on a particular exercise routine greatly
improves the accuracy and richness of the performance data acquired
as well as improving the type of analysis and/or
recommendation/coaching that can be provided. Real-time feedback
and/or real time equipment alteration based on analysis result may
also help optimize the exercise session and/or help reduce injury.
Wireless communications and/or wireless networking between sensors
of the garment 102 and the controller 106 may allow for flexibility
in positioning of sensors including but not limited to sensors
104A-104C at application specific locations on the garment 102,
particularly in situations where use of hard connections (e.g.,
wiring or electrically conductive traces or the like) may not be
advantageous or may risk failure modes due to broken, faulty,
intermittent, opens, or shorts, etc., in the hard connections, for
example. Moreover, sensors positioned on different garments 102
(e.g., separate garments such as a pair of pants and a shirt) worn
by the same user may be wirelessly linked to one another other
and/or to one or more controllers 106. Each of the separate
garments 102 may have its own controller 106 or one or more of the
garments may not have a controller 106 and sensors in those
garments 106 wirelessly communicate with the controller 106 in
another garment 102. Controllers 106 dispersed among multiple
garments 102 may wirelessly communicate with one another and/or
with sensors in other garments. Processing, signal analysis and
other controller 106 functions may be shared or otherwise
distributed among multiple controllers 106, or a single one of the
controllers 106 may handle processing, signal analysis, and the
other functions, etc. Wireless communications between external
wireless devices and any of the sensors and/or controllers 106, in
a single garment 102, or in multiple garments 102, may be handled
by one or more of the sensors, one or more of the controllers 102,
or both.
While the present application has been described in terms of
several preferred embodiments and/or examples, there may be
alterations, permutations, and equivalents, which fall within the
scope of the present application. If the term "set" is employed
herein, such term is intended to have its commonly understood
mathematical meaning to cover zero, one, or more than one member.
The present application should be understood to also encompass
these alterations, permutations, and equivalents. It should also be
noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the
systems, methods, computer readable media, and apparatuses of the
present application. Although various examples are provided herein,
it is intended that these examples be illustrative and not limiting
with respect to the present application.
Although the foregoing examples have been described in some detail
for purposes of clarity of understanding, the above-described
concepts are not limited to the details provided. There are many
alternative ways of implementing the above-described concepts for
the present application. The disclosed embodiments and/or examples
are illustrative and not restrictive.
* * * * *